WO2019146524A1

WO2019146524A1 - Circuit device and electric power converter

Info

Publication number: WO2019146524A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/001496
Authority: WO
Inventors: 矢原　寛之; 健太藤井; 雄二白形; 智仁福田; 熊谷　隆; 中島　浩二
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2018-01-25
Filing date: 2019-01-18
Publication date: 2019-08-01
Also published as: US20200367353A1; JPWO2019146524A1; CN111656519A; JP7004749B2; US11350517B2

Abstract

This circuit device (1A1), which is capable of significantly improving the heat dissipation properties of a printed board without an increase in size, is provided with a printed board (2), a mounted component (3), a non-solid metal spacer (5), a cooler (6), and a resin layer (8). At least a part of the mounted component (3) is arranged on at least one main surface (2A, 2B) of the printed board (2). The non-solid metal spacer (5) is arranged on at least one main surface (2A) of the printed board (2). The cooler (6) is arranged on a surface of the non-solid metal spacer (5), said surface being on the reverse side from the printed board (2)-side surface. The resin layer (8) is arranged between the non-solid metal spacer (5) and the cooler (6). The non-solid metal spacer (5) has a shape that is capable of forming at least one hollow portion (5C) between the printed board (2) and the cooler (6).

Description

Circuit device and power converter

The present invention relates to a circuit device and a power conversion device, and more particularly to miniaturization and high heat dissipation mounting technology of power electronic equipment.

As a conventional circuit device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-253205 discloses an example in which an aluminum tube having a coolant flow passage is integrally laminated on a non-component mounting surface of a printed circuit board via an insulating layer. (Patent Document 1).

In general, in the reflow method, which is an inexpensive soldering method, first, cream solder paste obtained by adding flux to solder powder is screen-printed on a printed circuit board with a uniform thickness. Next, components for surface mounting are placed on the printed circuit board by a mounter or the like. After that, it is put in a furnace, the solder is melted, and the printed circuit board and the component for surface mounting are joined.

Many of the surface mounting components used in the above-described reflow method are provided with a base plate having a heat diffusion function on the mounting surface side in contact with the printed circuit board. On the other hand, the non-mounting surface side of the surface mounting component is sealed with a resin package having a low thermal conductivity having electrical insulation. Therefore, it is difficult to efficiently cool the surface mounting component from the non-mounting surface side. Therefore, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-253205, a method of conducting the heat generated in the mounted component to the printed circuit board and cooling it using a cooler connected to the non-component mounted surface of the printed circuit board Is used.

JP, 2006-253205, A

In power converters and the like as power circuits that use large currents, demands for smaller size and higher efficiency are increasing year by year. For this reason, miniaturization and increase in capacity of the circuit devices included in the power conversion device are very important.

In order to meet the demand for downsizing and large capacity, it is necessary to connect the printed circuit board and the cooler with an insulating resin layer as described in JP-A-2006-253205. However, the insulating resin layer has poor thermal conductivity. Therefore, when using an insulating resin layer, it is important to reduce the thermal resistance between the printed circuit board and the cooler. For that purpose, the technique which diffuses the heat which generate | occur | produces in a printed circuit board, and is heat-transferred to the cooler side using the largest heat transfer cross-sectional area is needed. However, if the size of the printed circuit board is increased to increase the heat transfer cross-sectional area, the size of the entire circuit device is increased accordingly. It is necessary to avoid such an increase in size of the circuit device and to increase the cooling efficiency from the printed circuit board to the cooler side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit device capable of greatly improving the heat dissipation of a printed circuit board without increasing the size thereof, and a power conversion device including the circuit device.

The circuit device of the present embodiment includes a printed circuit board, a mounting component, a non-solid metal spacer, a cooler, and a resin layer. The mounting component is at least partially disposed on at least one major surface of the printed circuit board. The non-solid metal spacer is disposed on at least one major surface of the printed circuit board. The cooler is located opposite the non-solid metal spacer printed circuit board. The resin layer is disposed between the non-solid metal spacer and the cooler. The non-solid metal spacer has a shape capable of forming at least one hollow portion between the printed circuit board and the cooler.

According to the invention, the non-solid metal spacer disposed between the printed circuit board and the cooler functions as a heat spreader of the printed circuit board and a thermal bridge of the printed circuit board and the cooler. The non-solid metal spacer greatly improves the heat dissipation of the printed circuit board without increasing the size of the circuit device. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a circuit device in which a large current flows to a mounting component or the like mounted on a printed circuit board or a component is mounted on the printed circuit board at a high density, and a power conversion device including the same.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a first example of Embodiment 1; It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a first example of the configuration of the non-solid metal spacer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a second example of the configuration of the non-solid metal spacer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a third example of the configuration of the non-solid metal spacer according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 4th example of a structure of the non-solid metal spacer which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a second example of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a third example of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a fourth example of Embodiment 1; It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 5th example of a structure of the non-solid metal spacer which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a fifth example of Embodiment 1; It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on the 5th example of Embodiment 1 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a first example of Embodiment 2; It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 1st example of a structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 2nd example of a structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 3rd example of a structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a circuit device according to a fourth example of the second embodiment, in particular, a partial region of the non-solid metal spacer and the printed board cut away. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit device in accordance with Embodiment 3. FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit device in accordance with a fourth embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 centering on parts other than a cooler. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit device in accordance with the fifth embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus based on Embodiment 5 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 6 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit device in accordance with a sixth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit device in accordance with a seventh embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the circuit apparatus based on Embodiment 7 centering on the part of mounting components and a non-solid metal spacer. FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power conversion system to which the power conversion device in accordance with the eighth embodiment is applied.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
Embodiment 1
First, the configuration of the circuit device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a first example of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the first embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. 3 to 6 are schematic perspective views showing first to fourth examples of the configuration of the non-solid metal spacer according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2,

metal spacers

5A and 5B according to a first example of the present embodiment, which will be described later in particular, are shown.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a circuit device 1A1 according to a first example of the present embodiment includes a printed circuit board 2, a semiconductor component 3 as a mounting component, an electronic component 4 as another component, and A metal spacer 5 as a real metal spacer and a cooler 6 are mainly included.

The printed circuit board 2 is a flat member having one main surface 2A and the other main surface 2B, and the other main surface 2B disposed on the opposite side of the one main surface 2A. The printed circuit board 2 preferably has, for example, one main surface 2A and the other main surface 2B in a rectangular shape in a plan view, but is not limited thereto.

The printed board 2 includes at least one conductor layer 21, an insulating layer 22 and a through hole 23. The conductor layer 21 extends along the one main surface 2A and the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2. The conductor layer 21 includes four

conductor layers

21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D in the example of FIG. 1, but the number of conductor layers is not limited thereto, and may be three or less or five or more. Good. The conductor layers 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D are spaced from each other in this order from the top to the bottom in FIG. In FIG. 1, conductor layers 21B and 21C extend entirely along one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2, while conductor layers 21A and 21D extend in a direction along one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2. It has spread to a part. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the conductor layers 21B and 21C may be extended to only a part in the direction along one main surface 2A, and the conductor layers 21A and 21D may also be entirely along the one main surface 2A You may extend it to

The insulating layer 22 is a region which is a base of the printed circuit board 2 and made of an insulating material. It is divided into three insulating

layers

22A, 22B and 22C by the conductor layers 21A to 21D. In the example of FIG. 1, the insulating

layers

22A, 22B and 22C are disposed in this order from the top to the bottom. Here, the surface of the uppermost portion of the insulating layer 22A in FIG. 1 and the surface of the uppermost portion of the conductor layer 21A are twisted, and this surface forms one main surface 2A of the entire printed board 2 There is. Similarly, here, the lowermost surface of the insulating layer 22C in FIG. 1 and the lowermost surface of the conductor layer 21D are twisted, and this surface forms the other main surface 2B of the entire printed circuit board 2 ing.

The through hole 23 is a portion extending to the main surface of the printed circuit board 2 including the conductor layer 21 and the insulating layer 22 so as to penetrate the printed circuit board 2 from one main surface 2A to the other main surface 2B. Through holes 23 extend in a direction intersecting (for example, at right angles with) one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 from one main surface 2A to the other main surface 2B. The through hole 23 is a region of a columnar cavity which is connected to the conductor layers 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and is formed inside a cylindrical conductor layer extending in a direction intersecting the one main surface 2A. The conductor layer portion of through hole 23 enables selective connection between conductor layers 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D. The cylindrical conductor layer forming the side wall of through hole 23 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, and transmits the heat transmitted to conductor layer 21A from the upper side of one main surface 21A to conductor layers 21B, 21C, 21D. be able to.

For the conductor layers 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and the cylindrical conductor layers outside the through holes 23, it is preferable to use a metal material with low electrical resistance such as copper. For the insulating

layers

22A, 22B, and 22C, it is preferable to use an insulating resin layer obtained by impregnating a glass fiber cloth such as FR4 with epoxy or the like and thermally curing it.

The semiconductor component 3 as a mounting component is at least a part of which is disposed on at least one of the main surfaces 2A of the printed circuit board 2. In the circuit device 1A1, the whole is disposed on one of the main surfaces 21A of the printed circuit board 2. The semiconductor component 3 includes a semiconductor element 31, a base plate 32, a resin package 33, and a lead frame 34. The semiconductor component 3 in the circuit device 1A1 is sealed in, for example, a surface mount IC package such as TO-252.

The semiconductor element 31 is formed of a field effect transistor made of a semiconductor material such as silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN) or the like. However, the semiconductor element 31 may be configured using a semiconductor element other than a field effect transistor such as a diode or an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). The base plate 32 is a plate-like member made of a metal material of high thermal conductivity such as copper. The semiconductor element 31 is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 32, and the lower surface is connected to the printed circuit board 2. The resin package 33 is disposed so as to cover the semiconductor element 31 on the base plate 32 and part of the side surface of the base plate 32. Thus, the resin package 33 seals the semiconductor element 31. The resin package 33 is made of an epoxy resin material containing a filler such as a heat conductive ceramic.

The lead frame 34 is for electrically connecting the semiconductor element 31 and the outside thereof. The lead frame 34 is a member made of a metal material with low electrical resistance such as copper. However, the surface of the metal material of the lead frame 34 is plated with tin or the like. In the circuit device 1A1, the lead frame 34 is electrically connected to the conductor layer 21E. The conductor layer 21E is a part of the conductor layer 21 similarly to the conductor layer 21A, and the uppermost surface thereof forms one of the main surfaces 2A of the printed board 2. The conductor layer 21E is electrically insulated from the conductor layers 21A to 21D via the insulating layer 22A. The base plate 32 of the semiconductor element 31 is electrically connected to the conductor layer 21A of one of the main surfaces 2A via the solder layer 7.

The electronic component 4 is disposed on the other main surface 2 B of the printed circuit board 2. The electronic component 4 is preferably any one selected from the group consisting of semiconductor components, magnetic components, and resistance components. In the present embodiment, a semiconductor component is used as the electronic component 4. The electronic component 4 is electrically connected to the conductor layer 21D of the other main surface 2B via the solder layer 7.

The metal spacer 5 is disposed on at least one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2. The circuit device 1A1 of FIG. 1 has two metal spacers 5 of a metal spacer 5A as a first non-solid metal spacer and a metal spacer 5B as a second non-solid metal spacer. The metal spacer 5A is disposed on one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2 at a distance from the semiconductor component 3. The metal spacer 5 B is disposed on the other main surface 2 B of the printed board 2 at a distance from the electronic component 4.

The metal spacer 5A is bonded to the conductor layer 21A on the one main surface 2A by the solder layer 7 as a first bonding material. The metal spacer 5B is bonded to the conductor layer 21D of the other main surface 2B by the solder layer 7 as a first bonding material. The shapes and the like of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B will be described later.

The melting point of the solder layer 7 as the first bonding material for bonding the metal spacer 5 and the printed board 2 is preferably less than the melting point of the metal material constituting the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. Specifically, a low melting point alloy containing, for example, tin, gold, silver, nickel or the like is used as the solder layer 7. As the solder layer 7, instead of the above, a thin thermal interface material such as thermal conductive grease or the like, or a conductive adhesive such as silver paste may be used.

The cooler 6 is disposed on the side opposite to the printed circuit board 2 of the metal spacer 5. Specifically, a cooler 6A as a first cooler is provided on the main surface 2A opposite to the printed circuit board 2 of the metal spacer 5A, that is, on one side. Further, a cooler 6B as a second cooler is provided on the main surface 2B opposite to the printed circuit board 2 of the metal spacer 5B, that is, on the other side. That is, circuit device 1A1 of FIG. 1 has two coolers 6 of cooler 6A and cooler 6B.

The

coolers

6A and 6B are, for example, metal comb heat sinks. The

coolers

6A and 6B are arranged such that their base surfaces face the printed circuit board 2. However, the

coolers

6A and 6B are not limited thereto. That is, as the

coolers

6A and 6B, a liquid cooling jacket or a heat pipe type heat sink may be used. Alternatively, as the

coolers

6A and 6B, a metal plate connected to a liquid cooling jacket or a heat pipe type heat sink may be used.

As described above, the semiconductor component 3 and the metal spacer 5A are disposed between the cooler 6A and the printed circuit board 2. In other words, the metal spacer 5A is disposed to be inserted between the cooler 6A and the printed circuit board 2 in the vertical direction of FIG. Similarly, the metal spacer 5B is disposed to be inserted between the cooler 6B and the printed circuit board 2 in the vertical direction of FIG.

The resin layer 8 is disposed in the region where the semiconductor component 3 and the metal spacer 5A are disposed, ie, the region between the printed board 2 and the cooler 6A. Similarly, the resin layer 8 is disposed in the region where the electronic component 4 and the metal spacer 5B are disposed, ie, the region between the printed board 2 and the cooler 6B. The resin layer 8 is preferably arranged, for example, to embed the

metal spacers

5A and 5B, but is not limited thereto. Here, “embed” means that the resin layer 8 is disposed so as to cover and fill the surfaces of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B so as not to fill the hollow portions formed in the

metal spacers

5A, 5B described later.

The resin layer 8 of FIG. 1 is embedded in the area in which the metal spacer 5A is disposed so as to be in contact with the surfaces of the printed board 2 and the cooler 6A. Similarly, the resin layer 8 is embedded in the area in which the metal spacer 5B is disposed so as to be in contact with the surfaces of the printed circuit board 2 and the cooler 6B.

The resin layer 8 is formed of a resin material excellent in thermal conductivity. Specifically, it is formed of a resin material such as epoxy or silicone. The resin layer 8 is enhanced in thermal conductivity by containing a filler and the like, and has electrical insulation. As the above-mentioned filler, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) or aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) is used. The above-mentioned silicon oxide or aluminum oxide has higher thermal conductivity and higher electrical insulation than resin materials such as epoxy or silicone.

The resin layer 8 is formed by supplying the area between the printed circuit board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B using potting (casting sealing) or transfer molding. Therefore, the resin layer 8 and the

coolers

6A and 6B, and the resin layer 8 and the printed circuit board 2 are bonded without particularly via the bonding layer.

The resin layer 8 may be supplied to the entire region between the printed circuit board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B as shown in FIG. However, among the regions where the resin layer 8 is formed, particularly in the region 8A where the thickness between the cooler 6A and the metal spacer 5A is thin, high thermal conductivity with higher thermal conductivity than other regions in the resin layer 8 A conductive resin layer may be disposed. Similarly, in the region 8B where the thickness between the cooler 6B and the metal spacer 5B is thin among the regions where the resin layer 8 is formed, high heat conductivity is higher than in other regions in the resin layer 8 A conductive resin layer may be disposed. In this case, resin layer 8 is not arranged as shown in FIG. 1, but is arranged only in a part of the region between printed circuit board 2 and

coolers

6A and 6B as long as

regions

8A and 8B are included. It is also good. The thickness of the

regions

8A and 8B is sufficiently thin compared to the thickness of the

coolers

6A and 6B adjacent thereto. A sheet-like resin member may be disposed in the

regions

8A and 8B. In that case, uncured sheet-like resin members are disposed in the

regions

8A and 8B, and then they are cured. The

coolers

6A, 6B and the

metal spacers

5A, 5B are bonded by the

regions

8A, 8B of the resin member thus cured.

In addition, the resin member used for area |

region

8A, 8B is not limited to the above hardenable things. For example, a curable gel sheet or the like is used as a sheet-like resin member in the

regions

8A and 8B, and the printed board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B are insulated in the region of the resin layer 8 other than the

regions

8A and 8B. Other fixing members may be provided separately. That is, an insulating material other than the resin material may be disposed in the region other than the

above regions

8A and 8B.

Next, the material, shape, and the like of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B will be described in detail.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B have a rectangular outer shape and have a shape capable of forming at least one hollow portion 5C between the printed circuit board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B. Have. That is,

metal spacers

5A and 5B have a plurality of hollow portions 5C extending in a columnar shape, for example, so as to penetrate the depth direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is preferable that a plurality of hollow portions 5C be formed spaced apart from each other in the direction along one main surface 2A of FIG. In FIGS. 1 and 2, five hollow portions 5C are formed as an example, but not limited to this, four or less or six or more hollow portions 5C may be formed. Further, the hollow portion 5C is in the form of a square pole in FIG. 1 and FIG. The hollow state is maintained without the resin material of the resin layer 8 covering the

metal spacers

5A, 5B entering the hollow portion 5C.

In addition, non-solid means that the main-body part which consists of metal materials among

metal spacer

5A, 5B is not solid here. That is, it is assumed that the hollow portion 5C in which no metal material is present may be filled with a material other than the metal material forming the main portion of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B.

The

metal spacers

5A and 5B are formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity. Specifically, it is formed of a metal material such as copper, aluminum, iron, nickel, tin, magnesium, zinc or an alloy composed of two or more metal materials selected from the above group. Alternatively, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B may be formed of a clad material in which the one metal material and the two or more metal materials are combined. By using such a material, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B can efficiently transfer the heat of the printed circuit board 2 to the

coolers

6A and 6B. The

metal spacers

5A and 5B may have a plating layer of tin, electroless nickel, or the like formed on the surface thereof. As a result, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B can have good solder wettability.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, only one metal spacer 5A is provided. However, not only this but multiple metal spacers 5B may be installed. The same applies to the metal spacer 5B.

In the metal spacer 5A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the flat tube 5A1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The flat tube 5A1 may have a configuration in which, for example, five hollow portions 5C extending in the form of a quadrangular prism are formed at intervals in the left-right direction of the figure so as to penetrate the depth direction in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the metal spacer 5A may have, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. The same applies to the metal spacer 5B. Here, the flat tube 5A refers to one in which the overall horizontal dimension of the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 3 is longer than the vertical dimension (thickness direction).

Referring to FIG. 4, metal spacer 5A is arranged so that, for example, five rectangular tubes 5A2, 5A3, 5A4, 5A5 and 5A6 extending in the depth direction of the figure adhere to each other, as a whole as a whole. The flat tube 5A may have substantially the same appearance as that of the flat tube 5A. In each of the square tubes 5A2 to 5A6 in FIG. 4, a hollow portion 5C in the same manner as the hollow portion 5C formed in the flat tube 5A in FIG. 3 is formed to penetrate in the depth direction in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, metal spacer 5A may be configured to have a pair of metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 opposed to each other and a corrugated metal plate 5A9 provided therebetween. The corrugated metal plate 5A9 has an aspect of drawing a wave shape of a curve when viewed from the front in FIG. The corrugated metal plate 5A9 reciprocates between the flat plates 5A7 and the flat metal plate 5A8 in a fixed cycle in the lateral direction of the drawing while contacting the flat plates 5A7 and 5A8. Thus, a plurality of hollow portions 5C are formed between the metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9, penetrating the entire area occupied by the metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 in the depth direction of the drawing.

Referring to FIG. 6, the corrugated metal plate 5A9 of the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 5 may be in the form of a rectangular wave when viewed from the front. Also in this case, the rectangular wave-like metal plate 5A9 reciprocates between these flat plates in a constant cycle in the horizontal direction of the drawing while being in contact with the metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8. Thus, a plurality of hollow portions 5C are formed between the flat metal plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9, as in FIG.

As described above, in the metal spacer 5A of the present embodiment, the hollow portion 5C has the upper side (cooler 6A side) and the lower side (printed board 2 side) both in any of the examples of FIGS. The main body of the metal spacer 5A is formed to have a pair of first portions of a metal wall extending along one main surface 2A. The metal wall as the first portion corresponds to a pair of flat metal plates 5A7 and 5A8 in FIGS. 5 and 6 so as to surround the hollow portion 5C from the upper side and the lower side. For this reason, the pair of first portions are opposed to each other at an interval in the longitudinal direction. Further, one of the pair of first portions, that is, the first portion disposed on the printed board 2 side is bonded to the printed board 2.

Further, in the metal spacer 5A of the present embodiment, the hollow portion 5C has a metal wall portion constituting the main body of the metal spacer 5A on both the left side and the right side in any of FIGS. Is formed. This metal wall is a plurality of second portions extending in a direction intersecting (substantially orthogonal) one main surface 2A in FIGS. 3 and 4, and a pair of regions between the first portions is paired. Extends from each of the first portions of the first and second portions in a direction intersecting the one major surface 2A. This second portion corresponds to the corrugated metal plate 5A9 that forms the hollow portion 5C together with the metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 in FIGS. 5 and 6. The corrugated metal plates 5A9 are arranged at intervals in the width direction with respect to the direction along the one main surface 2A. That is, in the metal spacer 5A of this embodiment, the hollow portion 5C is surrounded by the metal wall constituting the main body of the metal spacer 5A from the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides in any of FIGS. Is formed. The above applies to the metal spacer 5B.

That is, the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A constitutes the metal spacer 5B main body on both the lower side (cooler 6B side) and the upper side (printed board 2 side), a portion of the metal wall along one main surface 2A It is formed to have. Furthermore, the hollow portions 5C of the metal spacer 5A are formed by the widthwise spacing of the pair of second portions adjacent to each other among the plurality of second portions.

The whole of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B including the metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 is formed of the above-described metal material. The metal flat plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 can be formed by a low cost press method.

In the metal spacer 5A of FIGS. 5 and 6, the pair of flat metal plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 can be connected by the same metal material as the low melting point metal that constitutes the solder layer 7. Therefore, in manufacturing the circuit device 1A1, it is preferable that a reflow process be performed simultaneously with the printed circuit board 2 in a state where, for example, solder paste is applied to opposing surfaces of the flat metal plates 5A7 and 5A8 and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 is set. In this way, the printed circuit board 2 and the metal spacer 5A can be integrally formed by one reflow process, and at the same time, the printed circuit board 2 and the

metal spacer

5A, 5B are solder layers 7 as shown in FIG. Can be connected with

The metal spacer 5A described above has a thickness equal to or larger than that of the semiconductor component 3 in the vertical direction of FIG. 1 intersecting the one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2. That is, metal spacer 5A and semiconductor component 3 are both connected on one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the top surface of the metal spacer 5A in FIG. 1 is disposed above the top surface of the semiconductor component 3 in FIG. Similarly, the metal spacer 5B has a thickness equal to or greater than that of the electronic component 4 in the vertical direction of FIG. 1 intersecting the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2. That is, metal spacer 5 B and electronic component 4 are both connected on the other main surface 2 B of printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the lowermost surface of the metal spacer 5B in FIG. 1 is disposed below the lowermost surface of the electronic component 4 in FIG. By forming the

metal spacers

5A and 5B thicker than the mounting parts in this manner, the entire surfaces of the

coolers

6A and 6B facing the

metal spacers

5A and 5B can be made flat (intentionally provided with the uneven portion) Can be formed). For this reason,

coolers

6A and 6B can be manufactured more simply.

The portion of the metal wall as the second portion of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B is not limited to the planar shape extending linearly in the above cross-sectional view. That is, the second portion may be, for example, lattice-like or honeycomb-like. Having a plurality (as many as possible) of second portions transmitting heat from the printed circuit board 2 to the

coolers

6A and 6B, and making the area between the

metal spacers

5A and 5B and the

coolers

6A and 6B as large as possible It is preferable that the layer 8 be covered and the resin layer 8 be in good heat conduction between the metal spacer and the cooler.

Next, after describing the problem of the comparative example of the present embodiment when it is assumed that the printed circuit board is cooled from the component mounting surface side, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.

As described above in the section of the problem to be solved by the invention, in power converters and the like as power circuits using large currents, the demand for smaller size and higher efficiency has been increasing year by year. For this reason, miniaturization and increase in capacity of the circuit devices included in the power conversion device are very important.

In order to meet the demand for smaller size and higher capacity, it is necessary to connect the printed circuit board and the cooler with an insulating resin layer. However, the insulating resin layer has poor thermal conductivity. Therefore, when using an insulating resin layer, it is important to reduce the thermal resistance between the printed circuit board and the cooler. For that purpose, the technique which diffuses the heat which generate | occur | produces in a printed circuit board, and is heat-transferred to the cooler side using the largest heat transfer cross-sectional area is needed. However, if the size of the printed circuit board is increased to increase the heat transfer cross-sectional area, the size of the entire circuit device is increased accordingly. It is necessary to avoid such an increase in size of the circuit device and to increase the cooling efficiency from the printed circuit board to the cooler side.

For example, as a first comparative example, it is conceivable to use a heat dissipation mechanism which dissipates heat from the mounted parts to the outside through a package of epoxy resin or the like of about 0.2 W / mK to 10 W / mK. However, this first comparative example has a problem that the cooling efficiency is not good. For example, in the TO-252 package used in a surface mount type power semiconductor device, the thickness of the insulating resin layer is about 3 mm, and the cross-sectional area of the heat transfer region is about 1 cm ² . Therefore, even if an insulating high thermal conductivity epoxy resin having a thermal conductivity of 3.0 W / mK is used, the thermal resistance on the surface side of the package is 10 K / W. The heat resistance is 10 times or more of 1.0 K / W, which is a general heat resistance value of the TO-252 package, and thus hardly makes sense as a heat transfer path.

Next, as a second comparative example, it is also possible to conduct heat by sandwiching an electrically insulating heat conductive sheet or the like between the printed circuit board and the cooler. However, in this case, it is necessary to use a thick heat conduction sheet or the like which is larger than the thickness of the mounted part, and there is a problem that the heat conduction is hindered. For example, when a semiconductor component sealed in a TO-252 package of about 4 mm thickness is used, the distance between the printed circuit board and the cooler on the component mounting surface side is 4 mm or more. However, when the distance between the printed circuit board on the non-component mounting surface side and the cooler in the above components is 0.5 mm, the thermal resistance per unit area on the component mounting surface side is per unit area on the non-component mounting surface side It is more than eight times the thermal resistance. Therefore, in order to realize the same thermal resistance as the non-component mounting surface side on the component mounting surface side, an area eight times as large as the non-component mounting surface side is required on the component mounting surface side. Thus, the cooling effect by the heat radiation of the printed circuit board on the component mounting surface side is weakened.

Next, as a third comparative example, it is also possible to radiate the heat of the printed circuit board to the cooler side by sandwiching a metal spacer having a high thermal conductivity between the printed circuit board and the cooler. However, in this case, if a thick metal spacer of large heat capacity is used, the temperature hardly rises during soldering. Therefore, in order to reduce the heat capacity of the metal spacer, it is necessary to make it a small thin plate. It is because it will become difficult to connect a printed circuit board and a cooler via a spacer by soldering, such as reflow, if it does not do so.

Next, as a fourth comparative example, it is assumed that the high temperature portion of the printed circuit board is cooled by the cooler by the direct contact with the cooler. In this case, it is necessary to provide an insulating layer between the high temperature portion of the printed circuit board and the cooler, and in the printed circuit board, the heat is diffused by the thin conductor layer. As a result, the heat diffusion in the printed circuit board becomes insufficient, and the heat flux is concentrated at the narrow high temperature area. As a result, the thermal resistance of the printed circuit board is increased. As described above, in each of the comparative examples, there is a problem that it is difficult to effectively cool the heat generation portion from the component mounting surface side.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the metal spacer 5A is provided on at least one of the main surfaces 2A of the printed circuit board 2. The metal spacer 5A functions as a heat spreader on one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2 and as a thermal bridge between the cooler 6A and the printed circuit board 2. That is, the heat transferred to the metal spacer 5A is transferred from there to the cooler 6A via the resin layer 8. Therefore, the printed circuit board 2 can be cooled efficiently. By having the pair of first portions which are longitudinally spaced from each other and opposed to each other, the metal spacer 5A reliably has a hollow portion 5C.

Assuming that the time constant of the transient temperature rise of the metal spacer 5A is τ, τ is determined by heat capacity × heat resistance. The metal spacer 5A of the present embodiment has a hollow portion 5C. Therefore, even when the thickness of the metal spacer 5A in the direction along the distance between the printed board 2 and the cooler 6A is increased, the increase in the heat capacity of the metal spacer 5A can be suppressed. Therefore, the temperature time constant τ of the metal spacer 5A can be reduced compared to a thick plate or the like which does not have the hollow portion 5C having the same volume as that of the metal spacer 5A. Further, the formation of the hollow portion 5C reduces the mass of the metal spacer 5A. Therefore, the metal spacer 5A can be easily soldered to the printed circuit board 2 by an inexpensive means such as a reflow process.

In addition, use of a metal spacer 5A having such a hollow portion 5C makes it lighter than the use of a thick metal spacer. For this reason, the increase in weight of the metal spacer 5A can be suppressed.

Further, metal spacer 5A has, for example, a quadrangular prism-like hollow portion 5C as shown in FIG. 3 by a plurality of second portions (outer wall portions) arranged at intervals in the width direction with respect to the direction along one main surface 2A. . Therefore, the metal spacer 5A has a metal wall as an outer wall portion of the hollow portion 5C, and the metal wall is disposed so as to connect the printed circuit board 2 and the cooler 6A. Therefore, the heat of the printed circuit board 2 can be dissipated to the cooler 6A by a short path via the metal wall. Therefore, the metal spacer 5A can efficiently cool the printed circuit board 2. The same applies to the metal spacer 5B on the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2.

Next, as a fifth comparative example, it is conceivable to temporarily connect a metal spacer using an adhesive or a heat conductive sheet or the like so as to sandwich it between a printed circuit board and a cooler. In this case, the layer of the adhesive and the heat transfer sheet has a problem that the heat transfer from the printed circuit board to the cooler is hindered.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, printed circuit board 2 includes a conductor layer 21 along one main surface 2A, and metal spacer 5A is a conductor layer 21 (conductor layer 21A in FIG. 1) It is joined by the solder layer 7. Thereby, the efficiency of heat conduction from the printed circuit board 2 to the cooler 6A can be enhanced. Further, in this case, the metal spacer 5A can function as a thermal diffusion plate which spreads the heat of the printed board 2 in the direction along the one main surface 2A. For this reason, the heat of the printed circuit board 2 can be efficiently transmitted to the cooler 6A by the metal spacer 5A. The same applies to the metal spacer 5B on the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2.

The melting point of the solder layer 7 is lower than the melting point of the metal material constituting the metal spacer 5A. For this reason, the solder layer 7 can be used for joining with the printed circuit board 2 within the temperature range in which the metal spacer 5A can heat.

Next, for example, when only the cooler is provided on only one of the main surfaces of the printed circuit board, mounting components can not be mounted on one of the main surfaces. Further, in this case, if the mounting component is temporarily mounted on the other main surface of the printed circuit board, the mounting component causes unevenness on the other main surface. For this reason, it is difficult to connect a cooler over a large area on the other main surface. For this reason, it is difficult to use the other main surface top as a cooling part of a printed circuit board.

In addition, an uneven shape is generated on the main surface of the printed circuit board on which the mounting component is mounted. The component mounting surface of the printed circuit board can be cooled by using a cooler having a complicated shape following the uneven shape. However, the cooler needs to be manufactured by using die casting which requires an expensive mold or by performing complicated cutting. This may result in high cost.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cooler 6A is disposed on the side opposite to the printed circuit board 2 of the metal spacer 5A. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in layout efficiency due to the arrangement that only cooler 6A occupies on one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2. Therefore, both on one main surface 2A and the other main surface 2B can be used as a cooling portion of printed circuit board 2. Moreover, the cooling efficiency by the cooler 6A can be enhanced without increasing the size of the circuit device 1A1.

Further, in circuit device 1A1 of the present embodiment, metal spacer 5A as a first non-solid metal spacer is provided on one main surface 2A, and a second non-solid metal spacer is provided on the other main surface 2B. The metal spacers 5B are disposed respectively. For this reason, not only one of the main surface side of the printed circuit board 2 but also the one and the other main surface sides can be efficiently cooled. That is, in the circuit device 1A1, the heat dissipation can be greatly improved without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the circuit device 1A1 can endure the heat generation density nearly twice as large as that when cooled from only one of the main surface sides, without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2 or significantly increasing the weight.

In addition, the metal spacer 5 of the present embodiment is formed of a relatively inexpensive metal material such as copper or aluminum. Thus, the possibility of high cost can be reduced.

In addition, the base plate 32 in FIG. 1 is connected to the conductor layer 21A of the printed circuit board 2 through the solder layer 7. In the printed circuit board 2, the through holes 23 electrically connect the conductor layer 21A and the conductor layer 21D. The metal spacer 5B is connected to the conductor layer 21D via the solder layer 7. Since it has such a configuration, the metal spacer 5B functions as a heat diffusion plate which spreads the heat of the semiconductor component 3 in the direction along the other main surface 2B. Therefore, the heat spread in the direction along the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2 in the metal spacer 5B can be efficiently conducted to the cooler 6B.

The metal spacer 5A is connected to the conductor layer 21A through the solder layer 7. Since it has such a configuration, the metal spacer 5A functions as a heat diffusion plate which spreads the heat of the semiconductor component 3 in the direction along the one main surface 2A. Therefore, the heat spread in the direction along one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 in metal spacer 5A can be efficiently transmitted to cooler 6A.

Furthermore,

metal spacers

5A and 5B and semiconductor component 3 in FIG. 1 are connected via conductor layers 21A to 21D of printed circuit board 2 through small thermal resistances formed by through holes 23 and the like. There is an effect of increasing the heat capacity in a pseudo manner. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a rapid temperature rise of the semiconductor component 3 caused by the large heat generation of the semiconductor component 3 instantaneously. It is also possible to suppress the decrease in the reliability of the semiconductor component 3 due to the repetition of such thermal shock.

In addition, in each example of the above-described present embodiment, the semiconductor component 3 and the metal spacer 5A are connected by the solder layer 7 as a first bonding material. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the heat generation of the semiconductor component 3 is efficiently and promptly transmitted to the metal spacer 5A through the solder layer 7.

Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a second example of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, circuit device 1A2 of the second example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1A1 (see FIG. 1) of the first example. The same reference numerals will be assigned and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1A2, spacer through holes 5D are formed in part of the surfaces of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B facing the

respective coolers

6A, 6B. The circuit device 1A2 differs from the circuit device 1A1 in this point. Spacer through hole 5D is a portion of the metal wall along one main surface 2A of

metal spacers

5A, 5B so as to reach hollow portion 5C from the outermost

surface facing coolers

6A, 6B of

metal spacers

5A, 5B. A hole passing through the A plurality of spacer through holes 5D are formed in each of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. More specifically, it is preferable that one or more of each of the plurality of hollow portions 5C formed in each of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B be formed.

The circuit device 1A2 has the following effects. That is, resin layer 8 arranged to embed

metal spacers

5A, 5B is filled, for example, by potting, into the region between printed circuit board 2 and

coolers

6A, 6B. At this time, the potting material forming the resin layer 8 enters from the spacer through holes 5D also into the hollow portions 5C formed in the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. That is, the hollow portion 5C is easily filled with the potting material constituting the resin layer 8. Therefore, the regions between the printed circuit board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B can be well thermally conducted by the

metal spacers

5A and 5B.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a third example of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, the circuit device 1A3 of the third example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as the circuit device 1A2 (see FIG. 7) of the second example. The same reference numerals will be assigned and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1A3, the spacer through holes 5D are formed in part of the surfaces of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B facing the printed circuit board 2. In this point, the circuit device 1A3 is different from the circuit device 1A2 in which the spacer through holes 5D are formed on the

coolers

6A, 6B side of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B. In this case, the spacer through holes 5D are formed of metal walls along one main surface 2A of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B so as to reach the hollow portion 5C from the outermost surfaces of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B facing the printed circuit board 2. It is a hole passing through the part. Also in this case, as in FIG. 7, the plurality of spacer through holes 5D are provided in each of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B (one or more for each of the plurality of hollow portions 5C formed in each of the

metal spacers

5A, 5B) It is formed.

As described above, when the spacer through hole 5D is provided on the printed circuit board 2 side, the following effects can be obtained. That is, resin layer 8 arranged to embed

metal spacers

5A and 5B is filled in the region between printed circuit board 2 and

coolers

6A and 6B by, for example, a reflow process. At this time, the spacer through hole 5D can be used, for example, as an air vent hole in the hollow portion 5C.

Here, the spacer through holes 5D of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B in each of the above-described examples can be formed by any processing method selected from the group consisting of, for example, pressing, etching, and laser processing.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a fourth example of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, since the circuit device 1A4 of the fourth example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as the circuit device 1A1 (see FIG. 1) of the first example, the same components are used. The same reference numerals will be assigned and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1A4, the metal spacer 5A has a thinner thickness than the semiconductor component 3 in the vertical direction of FIG. 9 intersecting the one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2. That is, metal spacer 5A and semiconductor component 3 are both connected on one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the uppermost surface of the metal spacer 5A in FIG. 9 is disposed below the uppermost surface of the semiconductor component 3 in FIG. Similarly, the metal spacer 5B has a thickness thinner than the electronic component 4 in the vertical direction of FIG. 1 intersecting the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2. That is, metal spacer 5 B and electronic component 4 are both connected on the other main surface 2 B of printed circuit board 2. Therefore, the lowermost surface of the metal spacer 5B in FIG. 1 is disposed above the lowermost surface of the electronic component 4 in FIG.

For this reason, the

coolers

6A and 6B in FIG. 9 have projections 6C that project toward the

metal spacers

5A and 5B at portions facing the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. The

coolers

6A and 6B having such shapes are preferably formed by die casting, extrusion molding, cutting, etc., but are not limited thereto. The circuit device 1A4 differs from the circuit device 1A1 in the above points.

The circuit device 1A4 has the following effects. That is, even when the thickness of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B is smaller than the thickness of the semiconductor component 3 and the electronic component 4, sufficient cooling efficiency from the printed circuit board 2 to the

coolers

6A and 6B can be secured. For this purpose, for example, the thickness in the vertical direction in FIG. 9 of the resin layer 8 between the

metal spacers

5A and 5B is preferably thicker than that in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, in the portion where each of

coolers

6A, 6B is opposed to each of

metal spacers

5A, 5B, there is a protrusion 6C protruding toward

metal spacers

5A, 5B, which is metal spacer 5A, It is preferable to be in contact with 5B.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a fifth example of the configuration of the non-solid metal spacer according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 10, a metal spacer 5A according to a fifth example of the present embodiment includes a flat metal plate 5A8 and a comb-shaped portion 5A10. The comb-shaped portion 5A10 is a first region having a comb shape. That is, comb-shaped portion 5A10 includes flat plate portions facing each other such that their main surfaces are substantially parallel to metal flat plate 5A8. Further, the comb-shaped portion 5A10 includes a portion which branches from its flat plate portion so as to be aligned at certain intervals in the left-right direction of FIG. 10 and which extends to the lower side of FIG. The comb-shaped portion 5A10 is configured to have a comb-like side shape by the flat plate portion described above and a plurality of portions branched therefrom. On the other hand, metal flat plate 5A8 is a flat plate-like second region connected to be in contact with the lowermost portion of the portion of comb-shaped portion 5A10 extending downward in FIG. The tip of the branched portion of the comb-shaped portion 5A10 is joined and integrated with the main surface of the flat metal plate 5A8, whereby a plurality of hollow portions 5C are formed therebetween. The hollow portion 5C extends in a columnar shape so as to penetrate in the depth direction of FIG.

In the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 10, the metal flat plate 5A8 has an area larger than that of the comb-shaped portion 5A10 in plan view. Specifically, metal flat plate 5A8 has a region overlapping with comb-shaped portion 5A10 in a planar manner and connected thereto, and a region extending on the left side of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a fifth example of the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a circuit apparatus according to a fifth example of the first embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, circuit apparatus 1A5 of the fifth example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit apparatus 1A1 (see FIG. 1) of the first example, and thus the same configuration. Elements are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1A5, the metal spacer 5A having the comb-shaped portion 5A10 and the metal flat plate 5A8 of FIG. 10 is connected on one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2. More specifically, the portion of flat metal plate 5A8 constituting metal spacer 5A is connected by solder layer 7 onto one main surface 2A. Therefore, the metal flat plate 5A8 of the metal spacer 5A is joined to the conductor layer 21A through the solder layer 7.

As described above, the flat metal plate 5A8 of the metal spacer 5A of the circuit device 1A5 extends from the region overlapping in plan with the comb-shaped portion 5A8 to the region outside the same. Therefore, the metal flat plate 5A8 planarly overlaps with the semiconductor component 3 in a region outside the region overlapping planarly with the comb-shaped portion 5A10. That is, the semiconductor component 3 is mounted on a region outside the region overlapping the comb shaped portion 5A10 in plan view of the metal flat plate 5A8.

The semiconductor component 3 and the flat metal plate 5A8 of the metal spacer 5A are connected by the solder layer 7 as a second bonding material. More specifically, the upper main surface of metal flat plate 5A8 which does not overlap with comb-shaped portion 5A10 is joined to base plate 32 and resin package 33 of semiconductor component 3 by solder layer 7 as a second joining material. . The solder layer 7 is a layer of a bonding material made of the same material as the solder layer 7 as the first bonding material which extends from the region overlapping the comb-shaped portion 5A10 directly below the metal flat plate 5A8 to the region on the left thereof. That is, in the region directly below the semiconductor component 3, the metal flat plate 5 A 8 is sandwiched between the solder layer 7 from the upper and lower bidirectional sides.

The circuit device 1A5 having the above configuration exhibits the following effects. The flat metal plate 5A8 of the metal spacer 5A, and in particular the base plate 32 and the resin package 33 of the semiconductor component 3 are connected via the solder layer 7 disposed directly on the flat metal plate 5A8 in FIG. As a result, the heat generation of the semiconductor component 3 is efficiently and promptly transmitted to the metal spacer 5A through the solder layer 7.

In addition to the above, the present embodiment can adopt the following modifications. The respective modified examples will be described below.

First, consider, for example, the case where the

metal spacers

5A and 5B are formed of aluminum. In this case, rather than bonding

metal spacers

5A and 5B to printed circuit board 2 with aluminum solder, for example, copper is plated on the surfaces of

metal spacers

5A and 5B and then bonded to printed circuit board 2 with solder layer 7. Is more preferred.

Second, in the above, the inside of the cylindrical through hole 23 may be hollow. However, the inside of the cylindrical through hole 23 may be filled with a plating film or a solder. In particular, when the inside of the through hole 23 is filled with a plating film, air does not enter the inside of the through hole 23. Therefore, even when

metal spacers

5A and 5B are connected to one main surface 2A and the other main surface 2B of printed circuit board 2 by a reflow process, generation of voids due to air expansion in through hole 23 Can be suppressed. Further, in the case where the solder layer 7 connecting the printed circuit board 2 and the

coolers

6A and 6B is present, it is possible to suppress a connection failure due to a void entering the solder layer 7.

Third, in the above, the distance between the metal spacer 5A and the base plate 32 may be reduced, and both may be directly connected by the solder layer 7. Thereby, the thermal resistance between the

metal spacers

5A and 5B and the semiconductor component 3 can be reduced. Therefore, the heat generation of the semiconductor component 3 can be efficiently transmitted to the

coolers

6A and 6B.

Fourth, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B may have a thin insulating layer formed on their surfaces using a heat conductive resin and an oxide film. In that case, even if voids due to air or the like enter the resin layer 8 or the

metal spacers

5A, 5B and the

coolers

6A, 6B contact each other, the electrical insulation between the printed circuit board 2 and the cooler 6 You can keep

Fifth, in FIG. 11, the solder layer 7 as a second bonding material for connecting the base plate 32 of the semiconductor component 3 and the metal flat plate 5A8 of the metal spacer 5A is the conductor layer 21A of the printed board 2 and the metal flat plate 5A8. May be a different material from the solder layer 7 as a first bonding material for connecting For example, as the second bonding material, it is preferable to use, as the second bonding material, a high temperature solder or a conductive adhesive which does not melt in the reflow process as the solder layer 7 of the second bonding material. Thereby, position shift etc. of the semiconductor component 3 by the reflow process of the solder layer 7 as the first bonding material can be suppressed. Conversely, only the solder layer 7 as the first bonding material connecting the conductor layer 21 of the printed board 2 and the metal flat plate 5A8 uses high temperature solder or the like, and the second bonding material can be melted in the reflow process. Solders that are not high temperature solders may be used.

Second Embodiment
First, the configuration of the circuit device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the first example of the second embodiment. FIGS. 14 to 16 are schematic perspective views showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the second embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. The aspect of the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 14 corresponds to the aspect of the metal spacer 5A of FIG. The metal spacer 5A of FIGS. 15 and 16 shows a modification of the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 14, which generally corresponds to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, since circuit device 1B1 of the first example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1A1 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the same components are identical. The symbol of is attached and the description is not repeated. However, in the circuit device 1B1, the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A is formed to have the portion of the metal wall along one main surface 2A constituting the main body of the metal spacer 5A only on the upper side (cooler 6A side) It is done. In this point, the circuit device 1B1 has one main surface 2A in which the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A constitutes the metal spacer 5A main body on both the upper side (cooler 6A side) and the lower side (print board 2 side). It is structurally different from the circuit device 1A1 formed so as to have a portion of the metal wall along.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14 as an example, metal spacer 5A shown in FIG. 13 is a first portion where flat tube 5A1 of metal spacer 5A expands in the direction along one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 And a portion of the flat metal plate 5A7. Further, metal spacers 5A in FIGS. 13 and 14 extend from metal flat plate 5A7 in the direction intersecting with one main surface 2A (direction from metal flat plate 5A7 toward printed circuit board 2), and mutually extend in the direction along one main surface 2A. It has branch parts 5A11 as a plurality of second parts spaced apart in the width direction. The metal flat plate 5A7 and the branch portion 5A11 of FIG. 13 form the comb-shaped portion 5A10 of FIG. 10 described above. The lowermost portion of the plurality of branch portions 5A11, that is, the tip of the branch portion 5A11 is directly bonded to the printed circuit board 2. Branch portion 5A11 is joined to conductor layer 21A of printed circuit board 2 via, for example, solder layer 7.

That is, the metal spacer 5A in the circuit device 1B1 of FIGS. 13 and 14 has a portion which is disposed on the printed substrate 2 side of the metal spacer 5A of FIGS. 1 and 2 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and extends along this. The configuration is a comb-shaped portion. The metal spacer 5A of FIGS. 13 and 14 has a width direction interval between a plurality of branched portions 5A11 sandwiched by a pair of adjacent branched portions 5A11 and is surrounded by the printed board 2 and the metal flat plate 5A7. Thus, the hollow portion 5C is formed.

Referring to FIG. 15, metal spacer 5A in circuit device 1B2 basically has the same configuration as metal spacer 5A in FIG. 5, but differs in that metal flat plate 5A8 is not provided. That is, like the branched portion 5A11 of FIG. 14, the corrugated metal plate 5A9 of FIG. 15 is directly joined to the printed circuit board 2 via, for example, the solder layer 7. A hollow portion 5C is formed by the corrugated metal plate 5A9 and the flat metal plate 5A7 and the printed board 2 which sandwich the corrugated metal plate 5A9 from above and below. That is, in the metal spacer 5A of this example, the metal flat plate 5A7 is disposed as the first portion, and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 is disposed as the second portion.

Referring to FIG. 16, metal spacer 5A in circuit device 1B3 basically has the same configuration as metal spacer 5A in FIG. 6, but differs in that metal flat plate 5A8 is not provided. That is, the rectangular corrugated metal plate 5A9 of FIG. 16 is directly bonded to the printed circuit board 2 via, for example, the solder layer 7 in the same manner as the branched portion 5A11 of FIG. A hollow portion 5C is formed by the corrugated metal plate 5A9 and the flat metal plate 5A7 and the printed board 2 which sandwich the corrugated metal plate 5A9 from above and below. That is, in the metal spacer 5A of this example, the metal flat plate 5A7 is disposed as the first portion, and the corrugated metal plate 5A9 is disposed as the second portion.

Although the metal spacer 5A has been described above, the same applies to the metal spacer 5B.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
According to the circuit devices 1B1 to 1B3 of the present embodiment, the heat generation from the semiconductor component 3 is transmitted to the conductor layer 21A, and the entire end of the metal spacer 5A from the tip of the branch portion 5A11 of the metal spacer 5A connected to the conductor layer 21A. It is transmitted to. The heat is further transferred from the metal spacer 5A to the cooler 6A via the resin layer 8. Thus, metal spacer 5A of the present embodiment functions as a heat spreader on one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 and a thermal bridge between cooler 6A and printed circuit board 2 as in the first embodiment. Do. Further, the metal spacer 5A can function as a heat diffusion plate which spreads the heat of the printed board 2 in the direction along the one main surface 2A. For this reason, the heat of the printed circuit board 2 is efficiently transmitted to the cooler 6A through the metal spacer 5A. The same applies to the metal spacer 5B on the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2.

Next, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B of the circuit devices 1B1 to 1B3 of the present embodiment have comb-shaped portions, and the tip portions thereof are directly bonded to the printed circuit board 2. Therefore, in the present embodiment, unlike in the case where the

metal spacers

5A and 5B have a portion along the one main surface 2A on the printed board 2 side as in the first embodiment, a metal flat portion 5A8 or the like is used. The spacers 5 do not close the through holes 23 provided in the printed circuit board 2. Therefore, even if the air inside the through hole 23 expands during the reflow process, the air can be discharged from the end in the extending direction of the through hole 23 on the metal spacer 5A side. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a connection failure between the printed board 2 and the

metal spacers

5A, 5B due to a void entering the solder layer 7 between the printed board 2 and the

metal spacers

5A, 5B.

The

metal spacers

5A and 5B having the branched portion 5A11 or the corrugated metal plate 5A9 as the second portion in the present embodiment are manufactured by a processing method such as press molding. Further, the material of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B is formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the metal material can be obtained inexpensively and easily. Furthermore, the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 16 does not include the flat metal plate 5A8 included in the metal spacer 5A of FIG. Therefore, the metal spacer 5A of FIG. 16 can be manufactured at lower cost than the metal spacer 5A of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a circuit device according to a fourth example of the second embodiment, in particular, a partial region of the non-solid metal spacer and the printed board cut away. Referring to FIG. 17, the circuit device 1B4 of the fourth example of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as the circuit device 1B1 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) of the first example, and therefore the same configuration Elements are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1B4, the photoresist layer 20 is formed on the area of the conductor layer 21A of the printed board 2 other than the area connected to the branch portion 5A11 by the solder layer 7. The photoresist layer 20 is formed on the conductor layer 21A inside the hollow portion 5C formed by the metal spacer 5A. The photoresist layer 20 is formed on the conductor layer 21A outside the metal spacer 5A. Although not shown, a photoresist layer 20 may be formed on the conductor layer 21D at the same position as described above on the metal spacer 5B side.

With the above configuration, the solder layer 7 is not formed on the entire surface of the conductor layer 21A (21D). The solder layer 7 is disposed only on a region of the conductor layer 21A (21D) to which the lowermost portion of the metal spacer 5 is particularly connected. A photoresist layer 20 is formed on the surface of the region of the conductor layer 21A that does not contribute to the connection with the metal spacer 5. As a result, a so-called solder fillet is formed in the solder layer 7 immediately below the branch portion 5A11 of the metal spacer 5 so that its width gradually widens toward the conductor layer 21 side. If a solder fillet is formed in the solder layer 7, the heat radiation efficiency between the metal spacer 5 and the conductor layer 21 can be further improved as compared with the case where the solder fillet is not formed. In addition, the formation of the solder fillet on the solder layer 7 can suppress the metal spacer 5 from being installed at a position deviated from the position where it should be originally installed.

The second embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment except for the points described above, and therefore the description will not be repeated here.

Third Embodiment
First, the configuration of the circuit device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. 18, since circuit device 1C of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1A1 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. I will not repeat the explanation. However, in the circuit device 1C, the semiconductor component 3 is sealed, for example, in a general-purpose insertion-mounted IC package such as TO220 or TO-3P. The lower surface of the base plate 32 constituting the semiconductor component 3 is screwed or the like onto the surface of the second portion (the portion extending in the direction intersecting the one main surface 2A) which is the metal wall of the metal spacer 5A. It is connected using. Therefore, in the circuit device 1C, the whole of the semiconductor component 3 is joined so as to be rotated by about 90 ° with respect to the semiconductor component 3 of the circuit device 1A1. That is, in the circuit device 1C, the base plate 32 of the semiconductor component 3 extends along the thickness direction of the printed circuit board 2 and spreads. In this point, the circuit device 1C is different from the circuit device 1A1 in which the lower surface of the base plate 32 is connected to one of the main surfaces 2A of the printed circuit board 2.

As described above, in the circuit device 1C, the entire semiconductor component 3 is rotated with respect to the semiconductor component 3 of the circuit device 1A1. Along with this, the dimension in the thickness direction of the metal spacer 5A joined on the one main surface 2A is thick so as to match the dimension in the extension direction of the base plate 32. Therefore, in the circuit device 1C, the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A is longer in the vertical direction intersecting the one main surface 2A than the dimension in the horizontal direction along the one main surface 2A of the printed board 2 ing.

Since the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A is longer in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, the volume of the hollow portion 5C is larger in this embodiment compared to the other embodiments. . In order to avoid an increase in the thermal resistance inside metal spacer 5A due to this, the side walls extending in the vertical direction are provided so as to have hollow portions 5C of the same number (five) or more as the other embodiments in this embodiment as well. It is provided.

Further, in the circuit device 1C, the lead frame 34 included in the semiconductor component 3 extends in the direction along the base plate 32 (vertical direction in FIG. 18) as shown in FIG. 9 and then curves to extend along one main surface 2A. It extends in the left-right direction of FIG. 18, further curves from there, and extends along the thickness direction of the printed circuit board 2. A part of the lead frame 34 extending along the thickness direction of the printed board 2 is inserted into one of the plurality of through holes 23 formed in the printed board 2. The lead frame 34 inserted into the through hole 23 is electrically connected to the conductor layer 21 E of the printed board 2 by the solder layer 7. The lead frame 34 extends in the through hole 23 to the other main surface 2B of the printed circuit board 2 and further extends into the resin layer 8 on the lower side of FIG. The semiconductor device 3 is mounted on the printed circuit board 2 by inserting the lead frame 34 into the through hole 23 in this manner. That is, the semiconductor component 3 is a so-called insertion mounting type. In this point, in the circuit device 1C, the lead frame 34 is electrically connected to the conductor layer 21E of the printed circuit board 2 so that the semiconductor component 3 is mounted on the printed circuit board 2 in the circuit device 1A1. , 1B1 is different.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
In the circuit device 1C, the surface temperature of the solder layer 7 rises because the heat of the printed board 2 is transferred from the lead frame 34 of the semiconductor component 3 to the solder layer 7 joining the lead frame 34 and the printed board 2 There is. Also in this case, the printed circuit board 2 and the semiconductor component 3 can be cooled using the metal spacer 5A. Therefore,

metal spacers

5A and 5B can be formed from the one main surface 2A side which is the component mounting surface side into which lead frame 34 of printed circuit board 2 is inserted and the other main surface 2B side opposite thereto. It can be used to cool the printed circuit board 2.

That is, not only in the surface mount type circuit devices 1A1 and 1B1 as in the first and second embodiments but also in the insertion mount type circuit device 1C as in the present embodiment, one main surface 2A side of the printed circuit board 2 is It is possible to efficiently cool on the other main surface 2B side. For this reason, the circuit device 1C can endure the heat generation density nearly twice as large as that in the case of cooling from only one of the main surface sides without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2.

The third embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment except for the points described above, and therefore the description will not be repeated here.

Fourth Embodiment
First, the configuration of the circuit device of the present embodiment will be described using FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the circuit device according to the fourth embodiment focusing on the portion other than the cooler in the circuit device of FIG. Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, since circuit device 1D of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1A1 of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the same components are identical. It attaches and does not repeat the explanation. However, in the circuit device 1D, a magnetic component 9 is used as a mounting component in place of the semiconductor component 3 in each of the above embodiments. The magnetic component 9 as the mounting component extends in the vertical direction of FIG. 19 from the region above the one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2 to the region below the other main surface 2B of the printed substrate 2 in the vertical direction of FIG. It extends to Here, the region above the one main surface 2A of the printed circuit board 2 in the drawing is a region where the resin layer 8 is supplied and aligned with the metal spacer 5A along the one main surface 2A. Further, the area below the other main surface 2B of the printed board 2 in the drawing is an area in which the resin layer 8 is supplied and aligned with the metal spacer 5B along the other main surface 2B. That is, the magnetic component 9 extends from the region aligned with the metal spacer 5A along the main surface 2A supplied with the resin layer 8, from the one main surface 2A to the other main surface 2B in the printed board 2, and further the resin layer 8 are supplied and extend along one main surface 2A to a region aligned with the metal spacer 5A. Thus, the magnetic component 9 extends from above the one main surface 2A to penetrate the inside of the printed circuit board 2.

The magnetic component 9 is, for example, a magnetic core inserted in the hollow portion of the conductor layer 21 and the insulating layer 22 of the coil pattern 24 formed of the conductor layer 21 and the insulating layer 22 of the printed board 2. The magnetic component 9 is made of ferrite or the like, and functions as a transformer and a reactor together with the coil pattern 24 formed on the printed circuit board 2 described above.

19 and 20, for example, as in FIG. 18, hollow portions 5C of

metal spacers

5A and 5B have one main surface 2A more than the dimension in the left-right direction along one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 The vertical dimension that intersects the is longer. However, the present invention is not limited to such an aspect, and the hollow portions 5C of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B are also in the left-right direction along one main surface 2A of the printed board 2 as in the first and second embodiments. The dimension may be longer than the dimension in the vertical direction intersecting with one of the main surfaces 2A. That is, the metal spacer 5A may be formed thicker so that the top of the metal spacer 5A is disposed above the top of the magnetic component 9. Alternatively, the metal spacer 5A may be thin so that the top of the metal spacer 5A is located below the top of the magnetic component 9. Similarly, the metal spacer 5B may be formed thicker so that the lowermost portion of the metal spacer 5B is disposed below the lowermost portion of the magnetic component 9. Alternatively, the metal spacer 5B may be formed thin so that the lowermost portion of the metal spacer 5B is disposed above the lowermost portion of the magnetic component 9.

Further, in FIG. 19, through holes 23 extending to penetrate printed board 2 from one main surface 2A to the other main surface 2B are not shown. However, in the circuit device 1D of FIG. 19 as in the other embodiments, with respect to the main body of the printed circuit board 2 including the conductor layer 21 and the insulating layer 22, from the one main surface 2A to the other main surface 2B Through holes 23 may be formed to extend through the holes.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
According to the circuit device 1D of the present embodiment, the heat generated in the coil pattern 24 and the like formed on the printed circuit board 2 is transmitted to the

coolers

6A and 6B via the magnetic component 9. The heat is also transferred to the

coolers

6A and 6B via the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. Therefore, the circuit device 1D can efficiently cool the printed circuit board 2 without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2.

The fourth embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment except for the points described above, and therefore the description will not be repeated here.

Embodiment 5
First, the configuration of the circuit device of the present embodiment will be described using FIGS. 21 and 22. FIG. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the fifth embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, since circuit device 1E of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1B1 of FIG. 13 of the second embodiment, the same components have the same configuration. It attaches and does not repeat the explanation. However, in the circuit device 1E, the semiconductor component 3 as a mounting component is disposed in the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A. In this respect, the circuit device 1E is different in construction from the first to fourth embodiments in which the semiconductor component 3 is disposed on one main surface 2A outside the hollow portion 5C.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the metal spacer 5A be bonded on one main surface 2A in the hollow portion 5C. From the viewpoint of making this possible, as in the second embodiment, the metal spacer 5A of the present embodiment is configured to have a metal wall portion only on the upper side (cooler 6A side) of the hollow portion 5C. Is preferred. That is, it is preferable that the tip end of the branched portion 5A11 be directly bonded to the printed circuit board 2.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, the semiconductor component 3 is disposed in the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A. Therefore, the semiconductor component 3 is not disposed outside the metal spacer 5A. Therefore, the area in which the resin layer 8 fills the entire area from the printed circuit board 2 to the cooler 6A in the vertical direction of FIG. Therefore, in the present embodiment, cooling is performed via resin layer 8 from one main surface 2A of printed circuit board 2 using the base portion of metal spacer 8A having a larger area than in the first to fourth embodiments. It becomes possible to connect with the vessel 6A. Thus, the circuit device 1E can efficiently transfer heat from the printed circuit board 2 to the cooler 6A. Therefore, it is possible to provide the circuit device 1E that can withstand an increase in output power without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2.

Further, in the present embodiment, the semiconductor component 3 is covered by the metal spacer 5A from above. For this reason, the metal spacer 5A surrounding this can also be effective in suppressing the emission of electromagnetic noise from the mounted component such as the semiconductor component 3 to the outside.

In the above, the semiconductor component 3 is disposed in the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other mounting components such as a capacitor or a resistor may be disposed in the hollow portion 5C. Also, for example, electronic component 4 may be arranged in hollow portion 5C of metal spacer 5B.

Sixth Embodiment
First, the configuration of the circuit device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24. FIG. FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the sixth embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the sixth embodiment. In other words, FIG. 24 shows the configuration of the circuit device of a portion along line XXIV-XXIV in FIG. 23 for the

whole including coolers

6A and 6B.

Referring to FIG. 23, circuit device 1F of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1B1 of the second embodiment and circuit device 1E of the fifth embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated. However, in the circuit device 1F, as in the second embodiment, the cut and raised portion 10 is formed in a part of the metal spacer 5A having the comb-shaped portion. In this point, the present embodiment is different in configuration from the other embodiments having no such cut-and-raised portion 10 of the metal spacer 5A.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 24, cut and raised portion 10 is, for example, a metal along one main surface 2A constituting the main body of metal spacer 5A on the upper side (cooler 6A side) of hollow portion 5C of metal spacer 5A. It is formed by cutting off a portion of the wall. As shown in FIG. 24, a portion of the metal wall on the top surface of this cut-out metal spacer 5A is bent to form a portion to be joined to the side wall of metal spacer 5A and one main surface 2A below it. . Thus, the cut and raised portion 10 is formed. In this manner, the cut and raised portion 10 is a mode in which a part of the metal spacer 5A is bent to form a branched portion 5A11 (see FIG. 14) of the metal spacer 5A, and is joined to the printed board 2 via the solder layer 7 or the like. There is. Thus, as in the second and fifth embodiments, a metal spacer 5A having a branched portion 5A11 is formed.

The cut and raised portion 10 may be bent in an L-shape to form the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. In addition, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 24, the portion which is disposed outside the cut and raised portion 10 and forms the side wall of the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A before being cut off has its top surface, side surface and bottom surface It may have a configuration bent by about 90 ° so as to be integrated.

As shown in FIG. 24, also in the present embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment, it is preferable that the semiconductor component 3 be disposed in the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A. In this way, as in the fifth embodiment, the metal spacer 5A has the effect of suppressing the emission of electromagnetic noise from the mounted component such as the semiconductor component 3 to the outside.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
In the circuit device 1F having the cut and raised portion 10 as in the present embodiment, the heat transferred from the semiconductor component 3 to the printed board 2 is transferred to the metal spacer 5A through the cut and raised portion 10. A region having a closed space to form a hollow portion 5C in the metal spacer 5A and a region embedded in the resin layer 8 without being closed to the metal wall like the region on the right side of the hollow portion 5C in FIG. And. For this reason, the heat which spreads hollow part 5C is transmitted to cooler 6A via resin layer 8 of a field embedded in resin layer 8 without being closed to a metal wall. As described above, in the circuit device 1F, the area ratio occupied by the resin layer 8 in plan view is larger than that in the other embodiments. Therefore, the circuit device 1F can efficiently transfer heat from the printed circuit board 2 to the cooler 6A by utilizing the high thermal conductivity of the resin layer 8. Therefore, it is possible to provide the circuit device 1F that can withstand an increase in output power without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 2.

The cut and raised portion 10 is not limited to the metal spacer 5A, but may be formed on the metal spacer 5B.

Embodiment 7
FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 26 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the circuit apparatus according to the seventh embodiment centering on parts of mounted components and non-solid metal spacers. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, since circuit device 1G of the present embodiment basically has the same configuration as circuit device 1A1 of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. I will not repeat the explanation. However, in the circuit device 1G, the hollow portion 5C extends along the one main surface 2A from the region 35 adjacent to the semiconductor component 3 to the region 25 adjacent to the end face 2E of the printed circuit board 2 as shown in FIGS. Extends in the left-right direction. That is, the

metal spacers

5A and 5B have a plurality of hollow portions 5C extending in a columnar shape so as to penetrate the left and right direction in FIGS. Therefore, a plurality of hollow portions 5C are formed spaced apart from each other in the depth direction of FIGS.

Further, as shown in FIG. 25, in the circuit device 1G, a cooler connection portion 6D is provided as the cooler 6 in addition to the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B. The cooler connection portion 6D extends in the vertical direction (thickness direction) of FIG. 25 intersecting the one main surface 2A so as to connect the end portions of the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B. Here, the end portions of the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B are the rightmost regions in FIG. That is, in FIG. 25, the cooler connection portion 6D is provided in the rightmost region of the lowermost surface facing the cooler 6B of the cooler 6A and the leftmost region of the uppermost surface facing the cooler 6A of the cooler 6B. The end faces as the top and bottom surfaces of are connected.

The cooler connection 6D is separate from the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B, and the lowermost end of the cooler 6A and the uppermost end of the cooler 6B are the uppermost surface of the cooler connection 6D and the uppermost surface of the cooler connection 6D. The end face as the lowermost surface may be connected. In this case, as shown in FIG. 25, the cooler connection 6D is disposed between the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B in the vertical direction of FIG. Alternatively, the cooler connection 6D may be formed integrally with the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B so as to have the shape shown in FIG. As a further modification, although not shown, for example, the right side end face of cooler 6A and cooler 6B is connected to the side surface of cooler connection portion 6D extending in the vertical direction in FIG. Good. In this case, the cooler connection 6D is disposed to the right of the cooler 6A and the cooler 6B on the right side of FIG. 25 in its entirety.

With the above configuration, in the circuit device 1G, the hollow portion 5C extends along the one main surface 2A from the area 35 adjacent to the semiconductor component 3 to the area 25 adjacent to the cooler connection portion 6D. It extends in the left and right direction of FIGS. As described above, in the extending direction of the hollow portion 5C, the present embodiment is structurally different from the first to sixth embodiments in which the hollow portion 5C extends in the direction intersecting the direction connecting the

regions

35 and 25.

The

coolers

6A and 6B in the present embodiment may be metal plates such as copper or aluminum which is a material of high thermal conductivity. However, the

coolers

6A and 6B of the present embodiment may be ceramic plates such as aluminum nitride. Furthermore, the

coolers

6A and 6B of the present embodiment may be a heat diffusion plate provided with a heat pipe or a paper chamber. Alternatively, in the

coolers

6A and 6B of the present embodiment, the plate materials of the above-described respective materials may be appropriately combined. Thus, the

coolers

6A, 6B of the present embodiment are various types of auxiliary coolers. On the other hand, the cooler connection portion 6D in the present embodiment is a main cooler by air cooling, water cooling or the like. The cooler connection portion 6D may also be made of the same material as the cooler 6A, 6B. The

coolers

6A and 6B in the respective circuit devices of the first to sixth embodiments may be made of the same material as the

coolers

6A and 6B of the present embodiment.

The

coolers

6A, 6B are connected to a cooler connection 6D as a main cooler. For this reason, the heat transferred to the

coolers

6A, 6B is conducted to the inside of the

coolers

6A, 6B and then transferred to the cooler connection 6D. As a result, the amount of heat transferred from the metal spacer 5 on the side far from the cooler connection 6D of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B to any one of the

coolers

6A and 6B is reduced. More heat can be transmitted to either of the

coolers

6A and 6B from the metal spacer 5 on the side closer to the cooler connection portion 6D among the

metal spacers

5A and 5B. Thereby, the semiconductor component 3 and the printed circuit board 2 can be cooled efficiently.

In the circuit device 1G of FIG. 25, as an example, the direction in which the hollow portion 5C of the circuit device 1A1 extends is rotated by about 90 ° in plan view. However, the extending direction of the hollow portions 5C of the

coolers

6A and 6B in each circuit device of the above-described first to sixth embodiments may be the same as that in FIG. 25.

In the circuit device 1G of FIGS. 25 and 26, the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A and the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5B extend in substantially the same direction in plan view. That is, in the circuit device 1G, the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5A and the hollow portion 5C of the metal spacer 5B both extend in the left-right direction in each drawing. However, only one of the hollow portions 5C of the

metal spacers

5A and 5B may extend in the left-right direction of FIGS. 25 and 26, and the other may extend in the depth direction of the paper surface of FIGS. That is, hollow portion 5C of metal spacer 5A and hollow portion 5C of metal spacer 5B may be configured to intersect each other, for example, so as to be orthogonal to each other in plan view.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, the hollow portion 5C extends along one main surface 2A from the region 35 adjacent to the mounting component to the region 25 adjacent to the end face 2E of the printed circuit board 2 (adjacent to the cooler connection 6D). It extends to In general, the

non-solid metal spacers

5A and 5B have higher thermal conductivity in the direction in which the hollow portion 5C extends in plan view than in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the hollow portion 5C extends in plan view. That is, the

non-solid metal spacers

5A and 5B have thermal conductivity anisotropy. Therefore, in the circuit device 1G in which the hollow portion 5C extends from the region 35 to the region 25 as in the present embodiment, the heat generation of the semiconductor component 3 can be transmitted from the region 35 to the region 25 with higher efficiency. Therefore, in the circuit device 1G, heat can be efficiently transmitted from the

metal spacers

5A, 5B to the

coolers

6A, 6B. Therefore, in the circuit device 1G, the inclination of the temperature distribution of the metal spacer 5 is reduced.

Eighth Embodiment
In the present embodiment, the circuit devices according to the above-described first to seventh embodiments are applied to a power conversion device. Although the present invention is not limited to a specific power converter, the case where the present invention is applied to a three-phase inverter will be described below as an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power conversion system to which the power conversion device according to the present embodiment is applied. The power conversion system shown in FIG. 27 includes a power supply 1000, a power conversion device 2000, and a load 3000. The power supply 1000 is a DC power supply, and supplies DC power to the power conversion device 2000. The power supply 1000 can be configured by various things, and can be configured by, for example, a DC system, a solar cell, or a storage battery, or as a rectifier circuit or an AC / DC converter connected to an AC system. It is also good. Further, the power supply 1000 may be configured by a DC / DC converter that converts DC power output from the DC system into predetermined power.

Power converter 2000 is a three-phase inverter connected between power supply 1000 and load 3000, converts DC power supplied from power supply 1000 into AC power, and supplies AC power to load 3000. Power converter 2000, as shown in FIG. 27, outputs to main conversion circuit 2010 a main conversion circuit 2010 that converts input DC power into AC power and outputs the same, and a control signal that controls main conversion circuit 2010. And a control circuit 2030.

The load 3000 is a three-phase motor driven by AC power supplied from the power conversion device 2000. The load 3000 is not limited to a specific application, and is a motor mounted on various electric devices, and is used as, for example, a hybrid car, an electric car, a rail car, an elevator, or a motor for an air conditioner.

Hereinafter, details of the power conversion device 2000 will be described. The main conversion circuit 2010 includes a switching element and a free wheeling diode (not shown), converts the DC power supplied from the power source 1000 into AC power by switching the switching element, and supplies the AC power to the load 3000. Although there are various specific circuit configurations of the main conversion circuit 2010, the main conversion circuit 2010 according to the present embodiment is a two-level three-phase full bridge circuit, and is used for six switching elements and respective switching elements. It can be composed of six anti-parallel freewheeling diodes. At least one of each switching element and each free wheeling diode of the main conversion circuit 2010 is configured by the semiconductor module 2020 corresponding to the power module of any of the above-described first to seventh embodiments, ie, the semiconductor component 3 or the like. Six switching elements are connected in series for every two switching elements to constitute upper and lower arms, and each upper and lower arm constitutes each phase (U phase, V phase, W phase) of the full bridge circuit. The output terminals of the upper and lower arms, ie, the three output terminals of the main conversion circuit 2010, are connected to the load 3000.

Further, the main conversion circuit 2010 includes a drive circuit (not shown) for driving at least one of the above-described switching elements and each free wheeling diode (hereinafter referred to as “(each) switching element”). However, the drive circuit may be incorporated in the semiconductor module 2020, or may be configured separately from the semiconductor module 2020. The drive circuit generates a drive signal for driving the switching element of the main conversion circuit 2010 and supplies it to the control electrode of the switching element of the main conversion circuit 2010. Specifically, in accordance with a control signal from a control circuit 2030 described later, a drive signal to turn on the switching element and a drive signal to turn off the switching element are output to the control electrodes of the switching elements. When the switching element is maintained in the ON state, the drive signal is a voltage signal (ON signal) higher than the threshold voltage of the switching element, and when the switching element is maintained in the OFF state, the drive signal is a voltage signal lower than the threshold voltage of the switching element (Off signal).

The control circuit 2030 controls the switching elements of the main conversion circuit 2010 so that the desired power is supplied to the load 3000. Specifically, based on the power to be supplied to the load 3000, the time (on-time) in which each switching element of the main conversion circuit 2010 should be turned on is calculated. For example, the main conversion circuit 2010 can be controlled by PWM control that modulates the on time of the switching element according to the voltage to be output. Then, a control command (control signal) is given to the drive circuit included in the main conversion circuit 2010 so that the on signal is output to the switching element to be turned on at each time point and the off signal is output to the switching element to be turned off. Output The drive circuit outputs an on signal or an off signal as a drive signal to the control electrode of each switching element in accordance with the control signal.

In the power conversion device according to the present embodiment, the power module of the circuit device according to the first to seventh embodiments is applied as the switching element of the main conversion circuit 2010 and the free wheeling diode. For this reason, it is possible to realize the operation effect such as the improvement of the cooling efficiency as described above.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a two-level three-phase inverter has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various power conversion devices. In this embodiment, a two-level power converter is used, but a three-level or multi-level power converter may be used. When supplying power to a single-phase load, the present invention is applied to a single-phase inverter. You may apply it. Further, when power is supplied to a DC load or the like, the present invention can be applied to a DC / DC converter or an AC / DC converter.

Further, the power conversion device to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the case where the load described above is a motor, and, for example, a power supply of an electric discharge machine or a laser machine, or an induction heating cooker or a noncontacting device feeding system It can also be used as a device, and can also be used as a power conditioner of a solar power generation system, a storage system, or the like.

The features described in the above-described embodiments (each example included in the embodiments) may be applied as appropriate in a technically consistent range.

It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of claims.

1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1A4, 1A5, 1B1, 1B2, 1B3, 1B4, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G circuit device, 2 printed circuit boards, 2A one main surface, 2B other main surface, 2E end surface, 3 Semiconductor parts, 4 electronic parts, 5, 5A, 5B metal spacer, 5A1 flat tube, 5A2, 5A3, 5A4, 5A5, 5A6 square tube, 5A7, 5A8 flat metal plate, 5A9 corrugated metal plate, 5A10 comb-shaped portion, 5A11 branch portion , 5C hollow portion, 5D spacer through hole, 6,6A, 6B cooler, 6C protrusion, 6D cooler connection portion, 7 solder layer, 8 resin layer, 9 magnetic component, 10 cut and raised portion, 20 photoresist layer, 21, 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E conductor layers 22, 22A, 22B, 22C insulating layers, Reference Signs List 3 through hole, 24 coil pattern, 25, 35 area, 31 semiconductor element, 32 base plate, 33 resin package, 34 lead frame, 1000 power supply, 2000 power converter, 2010 main conversion circuit, 2020 semiconductor module, 2030 control circuit, 3000 load.

Claims

Printed circuit board,
A mounting component at least a part of which is disposed on at least one main surface of the printed circuit board;
A non-solid metal spacer disposed on at least one major surface of the printed circuit board;
A cooler disposed opposite to the printed circuit board of the non-solid metal spacer;
A resin layer disposed between the non-solid metal spacer and the cooler;
The circuit device, wherein the non-solid metal spacer has a shape capable of forming at least one hollow portion between the printed circuit board and the cooler.
The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the non-solid metal spacer has a thickness greater than that of the mounting component in a direction intersecting the one main surface.
The printed circuit board includes a conductor layer along the one main surface,
The non-solid metal spacer is bonded to the conductor layer by a first bonding material,
The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein a melting point of the first bonding material is less than a melting point of a metal material that constitutes the non-solid metal spacer.
The circuit device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting component and the non-solid metal spacer are connected by the first bonding material.
The non-solid metal spacer includes a first region having a comb shape, and a second region extending from a region planarly overlapping with the first region to a region planarly overlapping with the mounting component,
The circuit device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting component and the second region of the non-solid metal spacer are connected by a second bonding material.
The circuit device according to claim 5, wherein the second bonding material is a material different from the first bonding material.
The non-solid metal spacer extends in a direction along the one main surface, and a region between a pair of first portions longitudinally opposed to each other and a portion between the pair of first portions. A plurality of second portions extending from each of the pair of first portions in a direction crossing the one main surface and being spaced apart from each other in the width direction with respect to the direction along the one main surface; Including
The non-solid metal spacer forms the hollow portion by the widthwise spacing,
The circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein any one of the pair of first portions is bonded to the printed circuit board.
The non-solid metal spacer extends in a direction intersecting the first main surface from the first portion and a first portion extending in a direction along the first main surface, and extends in a direction along the first main surface And a plurality of second portions spaced from each other in the width direction with respect to
The non-solid metal spacer forms the hollow portion by the widthwise spacing,
The circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of second portions are bonded to the printed circuit board.
The circuit device according to claim 8, wherein the mounting component is disposed in the hollow portion.
In the non-solid metal spacer, a cut-and-raised portion is formed by cutting the non-solid metal spacer,
10. The circuit device according to claim 8, wherein the cut and raised portion is a part of the non-solid metal spacer bent and joined to the printed circuit board.
The circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the hollow portion extends along the one main surface from a region adjacent to the mounting component to a region adjacent to an end face of the printed circuit board. apparatus.
The non-solid metal spacer includes a first non-solid metal spacer on the one major surface and a second non-solid metal spacer on the other major surface opposite the one major surface. ,
A circuit arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooler comprises a first cooler on the one major surface and a second cooler on the other major surface.
The cooler further includes a cooler connection extending in a direction intersecting the one main surface so as to connect the end of the first cooler and the end of the second cooler,
The circuit device according to claim 12, wherein the hollow portion extends along the one main surface from a region adjacent to the mounting component to a region adjacent to the cooler connection.
The mounting component is a magnetic component,
The circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the magnetic component extends from above the one main surface to penetrate the inside of the printed circuit board.
A power converter comprising the circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A main conversion circuit having a semiconductor module included in the circuit device and converting and outputting input power;
A power converter comprising: a control circuit for outputting a control signal for controlling the main conversion circuit to the main conversion circuit.